News & Brews October 21, 2026
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Local Dems backed candidate guilty of assault
If the question is “Who knew what, and when?,” you may think the topic is Gov. Shapiro and the sexual harassment scandal with his former secretary of legislative affairs, Mike Vereb. And that’s definitely a valid question in that case. But in this case, it’s actually another Democrat and an assault case. This time, it seems York County Democrat leaders were well aware months ago—before the primary election—that their candidate for state Senate had pled guilty to assaulting his ex-boyfriend. But the party chair decided to ignore this little fact. Now, after PennLive started asking questions, the Dem candidate has suspended his campaign. The race was not considered highly competitive to begin with.
Brooks drops out of PA-07 debate vs. Mackenzie
The 7th congressional district is considered one of the most competitive in the country, with Democrat Bob Brooks challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie. So why would Brooks pull out of the only debate of the campaign? Well, he claims an attack ad by Mackenzie is false and he will “not give Mackenzie a platform to spread his slander.” Responding to the drop-out, Mackenzie’s campaign manager said, Brooks is “trying to run out the clock on voters. If Bob Brooks doesn’t think he’s capable of debating, he’s not capable of being a member of Congress.”
Trump spends big—but late—to help GOP
POLITICO reports that President Trump’s PAC and its affiliates have spent more than $244 million to boost GOP candidates in various states since early September. It sounds like a lot—and it is. But you’ll recall Trump was sitting on more than $400 million before that, and Republicans were getting frustrated that he wasn’t spending any of it yet to help them in a year when they need pretty dramatic help. And here’s the thing: Spending early gets you better rates on ad buys. So the fact that Trump waited so long means his $244 million is actually worth less than it would have been had he spent it sooner.
DOJ investigating Krasner’s office
The U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly launched a criminal investigation into Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office, sending “grand jury subpoenas in recent days in an inquiry focused on potential obstruction of justice,” the Inquirer reports. Per sources, “the inquiry was opened in response to a memorandum from U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond, who said last month that federal prosecutors should investigate Krasner for potential conspiracy, obstruction of justice, or perjury over actions he and his office took in the matter pending in Diamond’s courtroom. One of the subpoenas sought documents and emails connected to that underlying case, one of the sources said, and was broadly directed at the office rather than any potential witnesses or targets.”
Allegheny County passes paid leave mandate
Ignoring every principle of basic economics, the Allegheny County Council voted 11-4 to force employers to provide and bear the full costs of paid parental leave. Under the mandate, which is among the most cost-intrusive in the country,“Employers must grant parents 12 weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child or a stillbirth, provided at 100% of regular pay up to $4,200 per week,” WESA reports. Employees are not required to contribute to this new paid-leave fund. The assumption behind this bill and other mandates like it is that employers, including small businesses, are simply cash cows who have money to burn, which is rarely—rarely—the case. Labor is actually an expense for employers. And when you increase the cost of labor—by, for example, making employers pay up to $50,000 for someone who isn’t working—that actually will kill jobs.
